It is a principal task of the National and University Library to collect, process, store and make available all materials (print and non-print publications) which document and convey Croatian non-material creative achievements in their totality. Legal regulations therefore prescribe the regular delivery of legal deposit copies of all Croatian publications. The historical and cultural responsibility of Croatian people to preserve Croatian cultural heritage lies at the bottom of these legal provisions. The first legal provisions which enabled the National and University Library to require a regular delivery of legal deposit were introduced as early as 1816.

WHAT DOES LEGISLATION PRESCRIBE?

The Law on Libraries includes legal deposit provisions laying down regular, free and prompt delivery of nine copies of all print and non-print publications, i.e. book and non-book material, as well as audiovisual and electronic material.

WHO IS LEGALLY BOUND BY LEGISLATION?
Entities bound by legal deposit legislation are publishers and manufacturers of audiovisual and electronic publications, i.e. legal entities and natural persons publishing or manufacturing materials for the public, whether these materials are intended for sale or free distribution.

PUBLICATIONS FALLING UNDER LEGAL DEPOSIT PROVISIONS

Printed publications: books, brochures, study prints, separates, journals, newspapers, magazines, bulletins, geographical and other maps, reproductions of pictorial works of art, music, catalogues, calendars, theatre and other programmes and their supplements in printed, audiovisual and electronic form, posters, leaflets, short advertisements and notifications, postcards, official and commercial forms.

Nine legal deposit copies have to be submitted for all publications available on some physical carrier.

WHERE TO SUBMIT LEGAL DEPOSIT COPIES?

At the expense of the depositor, legal deposit copies have to be submitted to the National and University Library in Zagreb, which is responsible for the collecting and distributing legal deposit copies, to the above-stated address. Information on online publications has to be submitted using the Online Publication Registration Form.

WHO RECEIVES LEGAL DEPOSIT COPIES?

The National and University Library keeps two legal deposit copies of every publication and further delivers one copy of that publication to each of the university libraries in Split, Rijeka, Pula, Osijek and Mostar as well as to general research libraries in Dubrovnik and Zadar.

ADDITIONAL LEGAL DEPOSIT COPIES

Official publications

Apart from submitting the mandatory nine legal deposit copies, all publishers of official publications are bound to submit to the National and University Library, at their own expense, two additional copies of their publications and another copy to the Croatian Information-Documentation Referral Agency (Hrvatska informacijsko-dokumentacijska referalna agencija, HIDRA). The publishers of official publications of counties, the City of Zagreb, cities and municipalities must submit one copy of their publication to the central library in their county, i.e. the City of Zagreb, while the publishers of official publications of cities and municipalities must submit a copy to the public library of which they are founders. Publications which may be categorized as official are those published by government bodies, i.e. bodies of local self-government and government as their official publications.

County legal deposit

Every publisher must also submit one additional copy of their publication to the central library in the county where the publisher is located, for the purpose of assembling the local history collection. The printing company which is located in one county and prints materials for a publisher located in another county must submit one copy of every such publication to the central library in the county where the printing company is located.

MONTHLY REPORTS

Not later than the last day of a current month, all publishers, printing companies and manufacturers of audiovisual materials and electronic publications in the Republic of Croatia must submit to the National and University Library in Zagreb the report in two copies on all the published, printed, i.e. manufactured materials during the previous month.

SANCTIONS FOR OFFENDERS

Non-compliance with legal deposit requirements represents a legal offence and is financially sanctioned by a fine of HRK 4.000,00 to HRK 50.000,00 for natural persons or legal entities and HRK 500,00 to HRK 10.000,00 for responsible persons within legal entities.

WHERE ARE LEGAL DEPOSIT COPIES ARCHIVED AND HOW CAN INFORMATION ABOUT THEM BE ACCESSED?

Legal deposit copies are available in all of the above-stated libraries. Information on legal deposit copies are available in library catalogues and also may be accessed through the Internet. Every library in Croatia and abroad may request legal deposit copies through the National and University Library using interlibrary loan services. Legal deposit represents the basis for Croatian Bibliography (Series A – books (monthly), Series B – periodicals and collective volumes (monthly) and Series C – journals (annually)), which is published by the National and University Library.